Name: Sam WoodAge: 22Originally from: Farmingdale, New YorkCurrent residence: Full-time occupier. “I’ve spent a decent amount of nights here in Union Square.”Job before joining occupy: UnemployedCurrent job: Full-time occupier, unemployedLooking for work? “I’ve put in applications here and there, and haven’t really gotten anything out of it.”Ideology: “I definitely agree with a lot of communist political views. I would definitely say I’m an anarchist, because ‘No bosses,’ that sounds pretty cool.”Claim to fame within the movement: “I’m a medic who doesn’t sleep and works his ass off.”Why occupy? “It started out because I sort of didn’t have anywhere else to go, and I thought that it was a fantastic idea, and the community that it created was just wonderful. I haven’t felt that sense of community at any other time in my whole life. Also, because I’m one of the medics that work here a lot.”Favorite music: “Right now I’m listening to mostly alternative rock and blues.”Favorite book: Recently read “Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic,” by Tom Holland.Number of Occupy-related arrests: One, during the Brooklyn Bridge incident last OctoberOpinion of Mayor Bloomberg: “I disagree with him a lot and think that he’s somewhat immoral, you know. I don’t really like him too much.”Opinion of President Obama and the Democrats: “I don’t really like the two-party system that we’ve got. Either side I’m not particularly fans of, although the Democratic groups tend to be more aligned with my interests than not.Favorite revolutionary leader:Emma GoldmanFavorite cop: “Officer Gaszy! He’s got like the legit cop ‘stash, and he’s still got the service revolver that they took out of service in ’94, and like, he just looks like a badass. I’m sure that the only reason he’s still on the force is ‘cause he gets results, you know what I mean? Oh, Gaszy!”

Jared Malsin

Name: Rich CarollanAge: 23Originally from: Suffolk County, Long IslandCurrent residence: Full-time occupierCurrent job: “Full-time occupant and activist”Looking for work? No. “If I were to go get a job I would be putting into a system that I don’t approve of. Morally, ethically, I do not approve of money. It murders people.”Ideology: “I love all alternative forms of government.”Claim to fame within the movement: “I make people feel sexually uncomfortable. Do you want to make out?”Why occupy? “I’m occupying for truth, and I’m occupying to spread the consciousness.”Favorite music: Punk and MotownFavorite book: “Ender’s Game,” by Orson Scott CardOther causes:Food Not Bombs, Take Back the LandNumber of Occupy-related arrests: TwoOpinion of Mayor Bloomberg: “Bloomberg is corrupted. He thinks this army of his, the police, is his army, literally.”Opinion of President Obama and the Democrats: “What about the puppets? They don’t run the country. They’re not making those laws; it’s the corporations, the Fortune 500.”Favorite revolutionary leader: Martin Luther King, Jr.Favorite cop: None.

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The Local was a journalistic collaboration designed to reflect the richness of the East Village, report on its issues and concerns, give voice to its people and create a space for our neighbors to tell stories about themselves. It was operated by the students and faculty of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to ensure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards. Read more »